prickly Florida blackberry Rosaceae Rubus argutus Link symbol: RUAR2 Leaf: Alternate, palmately compound, 3 to 5, but mostly 3 lanceolate to ellptical leaflets, serrated margins, prickles on petiole, shiny green above, paler below. Flower: Showy white flowers (one inch across), appearing in a terminal cluster in late spring to early summer. Fruit: Juicy, black multiple of drupes, 1/2 inch long; when picked, the fruit does not separate from its core, ripens in June and July. Twig: Stout, strongly angled canes with large slightly hooked prickles, dull reddish brown, lacking glaucous bloom. Cane tips do not root. Bark: Similar to twigs but darkens with age. Form: Sprawling, arching canes form dense thickets often well over head high. Looks like: Alleghany blackberry - dewberry - black raspberry - multiflora rose Additional Range Information: Rubus argutus is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting prickly Florida blackberry. External Links: USDA Plants Database © Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson